Connecting rod construction for radial engines



Jan. 31, 1933. M BOWMAN 1,895,700

CONNECTING ROD CONSTRUCTION FOR RADIAL ENGINES Filed Oct. 22. 1929 INVENTOR. 155M EGW Mfl/V A TTORNEY sixth,to provide a connecting rod construc- Patented Jan. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES PATE NT OFFICE EE M; BOWMAN, or LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, Assiononwmov MOTORS, LTD

A CORPORATION or NEVADA i CONNECTING ROD oons'rnuo'rion r03 nADIALnnoiNEs Application filed October 22, 1929. Serial No. 101,561J

, My present invention relates to crank shaft and connecting rod construction primarily adaptedffor radial and'rotary combustion engines, although not limited tosuch types of engines. a V

, The objects of this invention are: -first, to provide aconnectingrod which may be easily connectedtothe throw of a crank shaft and -which'may be securely mounted thereon; sec- 0nd, to provide a connecting rod in which the crank shaft bearing is made of separate members rigidlyiconnected together at their-ends by plates extending across the joints between ;,theseparate members of the bearing and in which the plates take up substantially all of the load tending to forcethe separate meme bers of the crank shaft bearing of they connecting rod apart,- thus forming a connecting V rodwhich is particularly. adapted for a crank shaft made as a continuous and unitary memher; third, to provide arconnectingrodofthis class in which the end plates of the crank shaft bearing thereof are annular plates rigidly holding the separate, members of the bearing ofthe connecting rod together asa unit with aiminimum number of: screws orother means; fourth,vto provide a connect-V ing rod oflthis class in which the endplates encircle the: end portions of. the crank shaft bearing of the connecting rod, thus taking up' at the centralportion of the plates the greater portion of thezload normally tending to sep-- arate theseparate members of'the' bearing portion of the connecting, rod; fifth, to pro- 7 vide a connecting rod ofthis class in Whichthe end plates of the bearing. portion of the connecting rod.also retain the wrist, pins, which ivotally connect secondary connecting ro s to the bearing portion, in position;

vide novel means forsecuring the end plates relative, to each, other and 1m the separate members ofthe bearing portion of the conto a master rod; andone whichlall of the vide as a whole a novel crank shaftand con- 'of reference thereon which form a part] of p hr View taken at 44 of Fig, 3.

necting rod ;-eighth to provide a construction of this classinwhich ample andrsubstantial connectlons are provided for secondary rods secondary rods maybe easily and quickly disconnected from the master rod; ninth, to provide a connecting rod construction ofthis class in 'whichthe master rod may be also readily'disconnected from the crank shaft bearing thereof; tenth, to provide a connecting rod of this class in which the crankshaft bearing portion thereof is split and rigidly:

secured" together by annular plates at the opposite ends of the bearing p'ortionanda crank shaft which is so constructed-that the annular plates may be readily placed in posie tion by extending the same over one end of the crank shaft and aroundand'over the several throw portions thereof; eleventh, to pronecting rod construction; and, twelfth, tov provide a connecting rod of this class which is simple and economical of construction," compact, very durable, and which will not readily deteriorate or get out of order;

With these and other objects in. view'as will appear hereinafte r, my invention con- 7 sists of certain novelfeatures of construction,

combination and arrangement of parts and portions, as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawing andto the characters this application in which} 7 i Figure 'lisa fragmentary sectional view of an internal combustion engine, showing a: cylinder,.piston and my crank shaft andcon necting rod construction embodied therein; Fig. 2 is a sideview on an enlarged scale, taken at 2 -2of Fig.1 ;Fig.3 is a sectional view also on an enlarged scale, taken at 3'3 of Fig. 1, and F l is'an enlarged sectional Like characters of reference refer to simi" lar'parts and portions throughoutthef views of thedrawing. o i I w v V The embodiment of mypresent invention is in an opposedipiston radial internal combustion engine disclosed more fully in myfcoat} the portions 30 and [4e extending beyond the pending application for Letters Patent for internal combustion engines, Serial No.

326,439, filed December 17, 1928.

The crank shaft 1 in thisfinstance isa multiple throwcrank shaft having throw or necting rod mechanisms A, B and'C consists.

ofa hub made up of twohubmembers3 and 4. These members '3 and 4 are abutted on ,gplane's which-extend'fromthe median line of the hub at the opposite sideslof the bearing'portion ldof the throw 1? of the crank 1 shaft angularly outwardly, the abutting surfaces of the member :3 diverging outwardly, and those of'the member. 4 converging 1nwardly, as shown'in Figs. '2 and 3. It will be noted, however, that the abutting surfaces 2 of the members 3and 4 may vary as. the number-of secondary rods 5 is increased or decreasedf Each of the hub members 3 and are provided with exterior flanges 3a and 3b; and 4a and 4b respectively. The flanges 3a and 4a' and the flanges 36 and 4b form withieach -other annular flanges around the hub which are spaced from eachother and also from the ends of the hubmembers, "as shown in Figs. 1 and 4., These'hu'b members are held I in position with the abutting surfaces in{ yabutting relation and with their ends against endwise movement by a pair ofannularplates 6 and 7 .which ar'e preferably continuous an- 'nular. plates positioned against the outer sidesof the flanges of the hub members and around flanges. These plates 6 and? are'securedtd gether'and to ,the outer sidesof; the flanges f of the hub bya plurality ofscrews '8 which extend from one .plateinto the other between the flanges of the hub. 1 These screws may be locked in position and against rotation by a Wire'QeXten'ding through holes'in the threadt ed ends of thescrews.

p Thelrod member 2 "which is part of the Qmaste'r'rod'withthe bearing portion just describedis preferably a 'separate 'member which is .removably but rigidlyfsecured .to Y

the hub member 3between.the fianges there of. As shown in the drawing, the rod membe'rv 2: is secured in position to the'member?) by asleeve 10' extending through the rodand the flanges of the hub member around oneof the screws 8. 1' "The frodtmember 2 is further:

secured in position ,to the member 3 by dowel: I

" member of the hubbetween the flanges there'- r.wreeeiee' lrs he eief -i' i-i The secondary connecting rods 5 are positioned with one end between the flanges of the hub members 3 and 4 and are pivotallyconnected thereto by wrist pins 12 whichare preferably in the identical form of the sleeve 10 and are positioned around the other screws 8. Thus, the screws are placed in out of the Way positions. The ends of the wrist pins or'sleeves 10 and 12 extend beyond the i outer sides of the flanges of the hub and; into annular grooves 6a and 7 a at the inner sides of the end plates'6 and? and are held in position by said plates; f Thus, it will be seen that the wrist pins are also supported by the end 'plates'and also that the wrist pins lock the flanges of the hub members to the plates, gether.

further. securing the hub members to- At theen'd of the cylindrical bearing por tions-1d of the crank throws of the" crank shaft are shoulders 16 which form thrust bearing portions which are engaged by the ends I:

ofthehub members extending beyond-the flanges." The peripheral diameters of'these" thrust bearing portions are of smallerdia'meter than the extended ends ofthe hub members around which the end plates are 'posi-i 1 tioned so that the. end plates may be readily slipped onto and over the outer sidesor peripheral portions of the thrust bearingpor tions of the crank shaft. The crank shaft is' also so constructed that noportion thereof, at least from one end of the'crank shaft, is of greater extent or cross section that the; cen' tral'openings of the end-plates 6 and 17 so that the end plates may be readilyjslipped'over.

the crank shaft to the desired position there-f on'preparatory to connecting the connecting 1 rods thereto, as shown by. Fig-1. I

dotted 'linesiin i V By reason of the particular construction of the connecting rodmechanism as herein de;

scribed, the crank shaft may be made con-"j ticular: construction, combination and ar 'rangement of .parts and portions, vI do not wish to belimited to this particular construc tion, combination and arrangement, but dc sireto lnclude 1n the scope of my invention:

the construction, combination and arrange- 1 pended claim.

ment substantially as set forth in the ap- I I V i Z Havingthus described my invention whatv I claim as new and desireto secure by-Letters Patent is: i 7

In a means of the classdescribed, a lon itudinally split hub having spacedapart can} I nular fla nges at its periphery, plates at the outer sides of the flangesfor securing .the

separate members of the hub together, a masterrod rigidly andv removablysecured to one r 130..

of, and a plurality of secondary rods pivotally connected at one end to the hub between the flanges thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 28th day of September, 1929.

LEE M. BOWMAN, 

